Crissy Field Center050

With the successful restoration of Crissy Field, the Bay Area received another gift - a 12,000 square-foot, two-story environmental education center that hosts a multitude of wonderful public programs for families.

Located in a spectacular setting overlooking the tidal marsh, the Crissy Field Center provides a variety of resources the public is welcome to enjoy - hands-on exhibits, an information area, a bookstore, and a cafe.

Calling itself a community center, and not a museum, the Center works in partnership with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, the National Park Service, and other local organizations to host a rich series of unique environmental, arts, and cultural programs. Recent offerings include heading down to see who lives in the bay, visiting Alcatraz after dark, and accompanying a ranger on various nature hikes through the Presidio.

Classes & workshops: The Center offers a number of family workshops on weekends. The programs are free or inexpensive and registration is required. To register, download form from Web site, and fax or mail to PO Box 29410, San Francisco, CA 94129, or call 415.561.7752.

Summer Camps: Crissy Field Center offers a combination of urban environmental and National Park-based summer day-camps for kids ages six to 11. Kids can sign up for one week-long session, or for the whole summer. Each week offers a new range of programs.

The following are a sampling of the types of day-camps available:
Junior Rangers: Visit a different park site each day, including Alcatraz, and earn a "Junior Ranger" badge.
Raptor Camp: Track and learn about birds of prey
Presidio Trekkers: Explore the Presidio's natural and military history
Planet Patrol:­ Turn trash into treasure in the art room, and learn creative ways to save the planet
Gardening Camp: Learn about gardening from the seed to the salad
Animal Adventures: Learn to track the critters that live in the Presidio
Fabulous Food: Investigate the journey of food from the ground up, and cook up a storm in the community kitchen
Eco-Explorers: Explore the ecosystem using cool technology tools and more.